On 12/28/2012 at around 4 pm, my heart was thumping harder and harder, my pulse rate went high as my screen went blank…I just closed my eyes with no expectations whatsoever and was overjoyed to see ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ on the screen.

This post though long, but I hope it will help future PMP aspirants with their preparation.

Background

I have an engineering degree in Electronics and Communication, an MBA and about 5+ years of work experience in the field of communications and high technology. Currently, I work as a senior consultant for a consulting firm. Little did I know about the PMP exam when I realized that I was missing out on some potential client opportunities due to the lack of a PMP credential against my name. I was intrigued to know more about the PMP exam and after talking to several people and reading several posts, I got mixed reviews about taking the exam. However, I listened to my own instincts, did not think about the outcome and decided to take the exam with an attitude that I am going to learn something new and exciting out of this entire process.

Pre-preparation

I first created a folder on my laptop called ‘PMP Exam Preparation’. Within this folder, I created sub folders such as ‘PMP application’, ‘PMP books’, ‘PMP mock exams’, ‘PMChamp’ etc. While, this task may sound very trivial, I think a methodical and organized approach is the key to passing the exam.

Application process

I searched for a couple of sample PMP exam application templates online to get an idea about how to go about the application process.  I also went through the PMBOK guide at a very high level to get a glimpse of the 9 knowledge areas and the 42 processes.

In the month of Feb 2012, after work, I spent 2 hours each for 5 days from Monday to Friday to prepare the application. It is important to take enough time to think through your experience and choose appropriate words to sum it up in a meaningful manner within the few, limited words allowed.

I was lucky that I did not get an audit and my application was approved within 5 business days of submitting it.

Exam preparation

To help prepare my study plan, I first read a number of posts on pmzilla.com about the experiences of people who passed the PMP exam. I realized that it is not possible and necessary to read and refer to all the material out there. Quality of preparation and not quantity is important. Hence, I prepared my own, customized study plan that comprised of the following –

Books –

 My preparation was confined to only 3 books –PMBOK guide, Rita and PMP Mathematics by Vidya Subramanian. I first read the PMBOK guide, just as a novel. This was a long, boring and daunting task but it gave me a rough idea about the PMP content. At this point, I kept wondering how do people ever pass this exam that seems to be so damn complex!

I then read Rita 6^th edition and answered all the end of chapter questions. Rita helped me channelize my mind to handle situational questions in the PMI way. 

I read the PMBOK guide once more and with a second reading of the PMBOK guide, I understood what all I need to do to pass the exam such as understand what is the output of each process, to which other process does this output serve as an input, in which all processes is decomposition, inspection, variance analysis used as a T&T, in which processes are project management plans, project documents, OPAs and EEFs updated etc.

Online training –

After reading the PMBOK guide twice and Rita once, I complemented my existing knowledge with an online coaching program. I stumbled upon pmchamp.com – I think this coaching program was instrumental in fostering my success as it breaks down the entire PMP subject matter into small, one hour daily videos whose content is easy to understand and remember. I read PMBOK for the third time simultaneously as I listened to each daily video and prepared my own PMP notes. The questions at the end of every video are close to the actual PMP exam. The best part about this coaching is that it keeps re-emphasizing the concepts that one must never forget as a project manager. Important concepts such as the difference between configuration management and change management and difficult chapters such as cost management, quality management, risk management and procurement management were a breeze for me mainly because of this coaching program.

I think the best way to get the maximum ROI from this coaching program is to read the PMBOK guide at least twice and Rita at least once by yourself before enrolling in the formal coaching program.  

ITTOs –

I took a print out of the ITTOs for all the 42 processes and kept reading them once in a day. I also created my own mnemonics for ITTOs (I’d be happy to share them if anyone needs it) but only used this to supplement my understanding of ITTOs and as a back-up plan in case I could not remember it on the exam.  I had a fairly good idea about the ITTOs about a month before the exam.

Websites –

While I was reading PMBOK for the 3^rd time and listening to PMchamp’s daily videos and preparing my own notes, I also prepared a word doc with web links to concepts that were difficult for me – I extensively used websites such as deepfriedbrain project, pmstudy circle and pmzilla to understand topics such as the difference between WPI, WPM and performance reports, the difference between perform quality control and verify scope, administrative closure versus contract closure etc etc etc.

I used pmzilla extensively to read the stories of people who passed the PMP exam – I realized the importance of reading the PMBOK Glossary and appendix sections for knowing the definitions of each process, components of the project charter, components of the project management plan, scope statement, definitions of value analysis, data date, WBS dictionary, activity attributes etc.

At this point, I felt that I had paid less attention to the quantitative section of the exam and after reading many good reviews about the book ‘PMP Mathematics by Vidya Subramanian’ I bought the book and I must admit that this book covers all the quantitative knowledge required to pass the PMP exam. This book helped me immensely to master the concepts of earned value analysis, EMV, decision trees, CPM, make versus buy analysis, future value, present value etc.

Mock Exams -

Before taking any 4 hour mock exam, I took one week to diligently read the PMBOK guide for the 4^th time. After this, I took 7 full length 4 hour mock exams on alternate days from the free resources available online. I was able to finish most of these exams in 3 hours, some of them even in 2 hours. While I found none of these exams close to the actual exam, they helped me identify gaps in my knowledge and read the appropriate sections from the PMBOK guide. My scores in the various mock exams are listed below -

Pre-exam day

I did not do any studying one day before the exam. I just relaxed my mind and watched the movie ‘This is 40’.

The actual exam experience

Since I am not a morning person, I scheduled my exam for 12:30 pm on 12/28/2012. My mind was very calm and stress free and with this frame of mind I went to the exam center at 11:30 am. I started the exam early at around noon. I spent the initial 15 minutes on the usual brain dump- page 43, cost formulas, contract types and risks to buyer and seller.

I found the exam to be very unique and one that is not replicated anywhere. It had a good mix of situational questions, direct definition questions, questions on inputs to a process, T&T and outputs. There were around 20 quantitative questions on make versus buy analysis, calculating the critical path, float, CPI, SPI, CV, SV, EAC, ETC, TCPI, calculating the future value and present value. There were no questions on ethics, professional and social responsibility. There were many questions on the type of risk management strategy used (avoid, transfer, mitigate, share, exploit, transfer), conflict resolution techniques (forcing, smoothing, collaborating, avoiding, withdrawal), Heizenberg’s hygiene theory, Theory X and Theory Y, Edward Deming’s Plan Do Check Act cycle, fitness for use, Kaizen, pareto charts, Ishikawa diagram, control charts, scatter diagram, steps in the change management process, difference between QA and QC. The length of the questions was as long as that of the questions on the PMStudy mock exam.

I did not spend too much time on any question –once I realized that I am not able to solve a question within 2 minutes, I chose an option, marked it for review and moved forward. While I finished every mock exam within 3 hours, I was overly cautious while picking an option and finished the actual exam with just 18 seconds to spare and did not have any time for review.

To sum it up, to pass the PMP exam, 3 months of studies (approx 3 hours a day on weekdays) coupled with a good mix of memory and on the spot thinking is imperative. I did not sacrifice my social life on weekends to study for the exam and felt that a good break on the weekends made me feel re-energized to study over the weekdays.

Afterthoughts

I am glad I took the plunge to experience the PMP journey. While I was studying for the exam, I had the opportunity to interview with a company for the role of a Global Operations Strategist. The job description required PMP as a mandatory requirement. At that time, I was still studying for the exam and hence, mentioned a note as PMP (Expected Dec 2012) on my resume. The interviewers validated the fact that I was preparing for the exam and asked me several questions related to PMP such as ‘what is the difference between a process and a procedure’, ‘during a change management initiative, what would you do if one particular country fails to comply with the proposed changes’ – I do not think I could have answered such questions without sound knowledge of project management fundamentals. It was at this point that I realized that this exam has helped me extend my knowledge and apply my mind to infer answers for abstract questions. I did get the job and I attribute this to my PMP prep to a great extent.

Above all, the PMP exam may not have made me a project manager but it has re-instilled and engrained the thought of adhering to ethical practices, professional and social responsibility in all my dealings!

If you need any more information about the exam, please feel free to email me at just4ubetty@gmail.com.